


Expanded world

by AliaMael



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 06:04:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19864732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliaMael/pseuds/AliaMael
Summary: Kitaniji just wanted to do his job. Not having to play damage control around a child -a living child- able to see the UG.Priorities can shift.





	1. Encounter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ethernelle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ethernelle/gifts).



> Years ago, Ethernelle asked me for "Kitaniji, crêpes and angst". I hope this delivers.   
> (Please don't think too hard on the "years ago" part.)

It had been a perfectly normal day, up until the moment a childish voice called to him.

– Hey, mister? You playing hide and seek?

Kitaniji knew he was alone in this back alley. He had chosen it specifically because no one was there and that made it easier to spy on the Game. Seemed he’d been wrong in his assessment.

– I won’t tell, you know, the child insisted.

Suppressing a sigh, Kitaniji finally turned around to face the intruder. It was a small girl, maybe seven or eight years old, with a doll-like red dress. And she was looking right at him with a focus so intense he had to fight the will to avert his eyes. For a handful of seconds, he wondered if he had switched frequencies. She shouldn’t be able…

He was in the UG. And now she was pouting, obviously upset that he was not answering.

He settled on the easiest question.

– Where are your parents?

She looked at her shoes, tracing an abstract pattern in the dirt with their tip.

– Working. Can I play with you?  
– I’m working too. Don’t you have friends your age to play with?

She shook her head “no”.

– I like your wings, she blurted out.

Kitaniji suppressed a groan. She was not going to be easy to deal with. He looked back to the main road. The bunch of Players he had been spying on was gone. No point staying here longer. Where to, next…?

Technically, he had no obligation to take upon himself to monitor the Game like this. It was the Game Master’s duty, and if he was lucky the reports were complete enough. Even when he was saddled with lazy GMs, he could usually understand what was going on with just reading and a bunch of well-placed questions. But Shibuya’s streets were far more pleasant than the Dead God’s Pad and so here he was, doing extra hours.

104, he decided. A strategic point to find back the Players and Reapers scattered around the district. A subconscious motion brought his sunglasses back into place; he started walking.

It was only several blocks later that he realised the girl was following him. He slowed down enough for her to catch up and she beamed him a smile upon doing so.

– Thanks mister!  
– Why are you following me?

It was a bit dry, but he was no babysitter.

– I’m bored. I like your wings.  
– You already said that, he remarked.  
– But it’s true! They’re nice. Nicer than the ones of the hoodie guys.  
– The…

The Harriers. What exactly had this girl already seen?

– You were playing alone, and I’m alone too. Maybe we could play together? she insisted.  
– What makes you think I’m alone?

Why was he even arguing with her? She was a mere child.

– Listen, you can’t stay outside like this without your parents. Go home.  
– But there’s nothing to do inside, she complained.  
– Not my problem.  
– You’re mean!  
– Still not my problem, girl.

At that, she ran in front of him and put her fists on her hips.

– Ringo, she said.

Kitaniji went to sidestep her. She yelped and caught his sleeve.

– I’m not “girl”, I’m Ringo!

He sighed.

– Alright, Ringo. Now would you please let go of me?

She visibly hesitated, but eventually obeyed. Kitaniji eyed her. She was not going to let him do as he pleased, that much was clear. On the other hand, he had no clue where to find the Players…

– Let’s get you home.

She blinked, surprised.

– What?  
– You heard me right, g… Ringo. Where do you live?  
– I don’t wanna go…

He had to resist the temptation to just Imprint her and get it over with.

– Am I asking for your opinion?  
– No…  
– So. Where?

She shuffled her feet a bit, went to say something, thought better of it, and eventually pointed a direction. Kitaniji started walking and she fell in rhythm with him. Two streets later, she was back to chatting cheerfully and Kitaniji found himself considering his life choices.

– And then she said I had to keep quiet, but that’s no fun! I mean, if you’re playing, you have to do it right, you know?

What could the passerby think of her? A little girl all on her own talking to the void in the middle of Shibuya… Was she young enough to pass for just cute and funny? Or was she already called “crazy” behind her back? She would learn to keep it to herself sooner or later… but he couldn’t care less. She was only a short setback.

– Misteeeer?

Kitaniji realised she had called him several times without him reacting. He looked down on her.

– What?  
– When we’re at my house, can we play?  
– I’m not staying with you.

She pouted and fell quiet. They soon arrived in front of a tall building; she stopped.

– It’s here, she said.  
– Go inside, and be nice.

She glared at him but went to the door without protesting. Kitaniji was almost already gone when she called back.

– Mister, what’s your name?  
– Not telling.  
– Uhh, whyyyy?  
– Because you’re just a nosy little brat and we’ll never see each other again.


	2. Habit

How wrong he was. In the months that followed, Ringo seemed to take great pleasure in finding him –however unreachable the place– and following him around. The fifth time she exclaimed “Gotcha!” upon seeing him he finally understood that, unwillingly to him, they were indeed playing together. Hide and seek, as she asked the first time.

For some time, he was nervous. He dreaded seeing her each time he got on the streets, not wanting her to tip the Players or the Reapers on his spying, not wanting her to see anything more incriminating, not wanting to have to walk her home once again. Because each time it ended like this. He just couldn’t let her stay outside, even if he knew she was out there on all the days he didn’t see her.

Then, slowly, insidiously, habit kicked in. He just sighed when she came running, a bright smile on her face, and turned away from the Game. He had to depend a bit more on the reports the Game Master did. She would not impede him. He couldn’t let her. Some days he wondered why he refused to Imprint her away for good.

But as months became seasons, he found himself worrying –oh, not much, but a slight sparkle that slowed him down– when he didn’t see her for more than four or five days in a row. Each time she came back however. Maybe he was subtly less cold to her.

When she took his hand on the way to her home for the first time, he didn’t even think to protest.


	3. Questions

Winter came, and with it the cold and the longer nights. Ringo still played with him even through the dark of the late afternoon. She was shivering under her coat but her smile never faltered. Until today.

– Say, mister.

Kitaniji refrained from smiling as he turned to her. Seeing how serious she looked, he frowned.

– What’s wrong?  
– You’re not really playing, are you?  
– What do you mean?

She pointed the Reapers guarding the wall on the other side of the plaza.

– You’re always looking at them, the winged guys, and the running ones, she elaborated. But you never, ever show yourself.  
– I don’t…  
– You know, she interrupted, you can tell me. I won’t laugh.

Kitaniji thought of scanning her to try to make sense of her words. Instead, he went on.

– I don’t understand what you mean, Ringo.  
– They told you you were gonna play hide and seek together, so you hide, but they’re not seeking you. I know, it happens to me all the time.

She sounded… quietly sad. Resigned.

– It’s not… Kitaniji began.

He couldn’t explain what was really happening. Besides, it was not the conversation he wanted to have right now.

– Come with me.  
– Where to?

He didn’t answer and she followed without protesting. He vaguely remembered a coffee shop in a smaller alley not so far… something like “the White Pawn”? It would have to do.

It was in fact “the White Knight”. It was warm inside and Ringo visibly relaxed, even while she tried to look all around her at the same time, curious. Kitaniji guided her to a small table in a corner, glad to see the place almost empty. He didn’t want anyone to overhear them, but he couldn’t decently let the poor girl freeze outside.

Several minutes later, Ringo seemed the happiest girl on Earth in front of a hot chocolate.

– I never asked, but why are you always on your own? Kitaniji began.

She shrugged.

– Mom and Dad are always working late. It’s no fun being home alone.  
– Don’t you have friends?

She looked down at her drink as if she could find all the answers inside of it.

– Ringo? he insisted gently.  
– They say I’m weird.

Kitaniji felt his hands tighten around his cup. He knew where this was headed.

– They say I’m crazy. That I see things that don’t exist.   
– Like me?  
– You’re real, right?  
– I am. But most of the time I’m invisible to normal people.  
– Why am I not normal?

Even though her voice was firm, she looked ready to cry.

Kitaniji had heard about the Sight some time ago. People alive in the RG able to see the UG. It was uncommon but it happened. However it was the first time he encountered someone with the Sight, and he was discovering what that truly meant. He didn’t envy Ringo.

– I don’t know, Ringo.

_I’m sorry_ , he wanted to tell her, but he didn’t. No point in it, for he couldn’t do anything.

– What I can assure you, though, is that you’re not crazy. What you see is real.  
– But if I’m the only one able to see you, how can I know you’re not lying? she asked.

She was sharp. Probably had already thought this out before.

– I did order your chocolate, you know, Kitaniji pointed.

Her eyes widened, and soon her smile followed. She looked so relieved. It was slightly saddening to realise she had been living with this fear for so long. Soon, however, she frowned.

– Say, mister? Is the barista “weird” too?  
– No, it’s…

How to explain UG and RG without breaking any rules?

– I can make myself visible at will, he settled on.  
– Oh. So you did this to order.  
– Yes.  
– But then why stay invisible most of the time?

He sighed.

– That’s where I belong.  
– I don’t understand.  
– It’s not important.

She pouted. Kitaniji took a sip of his coffee, watching the cogs turn in her head.

– The guys you’re always looking at, she said. Do they see you?  
– They’d be able to if I was not hiding from them.  
– So why are you hiding?  
– Not your business, girl.

Her eyes shot daggers, and he stifled a laugh.

– I’m sorry, Ringo, he added more gently.  


She shrugged, still pouting.

– You’re mean.  
– Obviously. That’s why we’re here, right?

She tried to ignore him for at least ten or fifteen seconds before giving up.

– Thank you mister.  
– What for? he asked in genuine surprise.  
– Telling me I’m not mad.

She looked so much more than her age for a fraction of a second, then she beamed her luminous smile and got back to her chocolate.

– You’re welcome.


	4. Worry

It was the last day of a Game week, rain was pouring, and frankly Kitaniji wouldn’t have bothered with getting outside if not for the fact that Ringo was almost certainly looking for him. He was not even trying to follow the Players around, looking for the girl instead. He had an umbrella but kept it closed. In the UG, rain tended to defy rational patterns, appearing and disappearing in bursts of static, without rhythm. No point in trying to shelter from it when it could just phase through the umbrella…

He’d been on the streets for almost a full hour now. He was thoroughly soaked and couldn’t contain his shivers. The only good thing was that, being already dead, he couldn’t catch a cold. Nevertheless, he was ready to give up, his certainty that Ringo was somewhere in the rain getting thinner and thinner, when he finally found her.

She was wearing a raincoat in a lurid yellow that almost made him flinch, and she was acting strangely. She hid behind a signboard, than darted to a trash can she crouched behind. As if she was hunted by someone…  


Worry seized him, with a surprising intensity. He ran toward her, looking for danger, anything really that could explain her behavior. She saw him and grinned, but he caught a move from the corner of his eyes and turned toward it.

It was Noise. Namely two dixiefrogs, hopping right toward Ringo. He reached out to them, ready to Erase them.

– Ringo, step back! he ordered.  
– What, wait!

She jumped between him and the Noise, arms outstretched in a protective gesture.

– Don’t hurt them, she begged.

Behind her, the two Noise were huddled together, waiting. Like real animals.

– You don’t know what they are, Kitaniji said.  
– They’re my friends!

He went to say something but realised he had no clue what. Dear Lord.

– We’re just playing, Ringo went on. They’re cute.

Alright, he could do this. He could find something clever to answer. He could…

– Mister? We did nothing wrong, right? I didn’t steal them or hurt them or anything.  
– I’m more worried about them hurting you than the other way around, he finally said.

Ringo seemed puzzled.

– But they’re nice? she tried.  
– They…

_They’re not. They’re killing people everyday._ But he couldn’t say that. Besides, it was not even technically true. Noise were used as weapons by the Reapers, but they only killed Players, and ordinary ones like the two frogs wouldn’t do anything unprovoked.

– Can I keep them? Please?  
– Wait, when has this turned into me giving you permission to adopt them?

He had totally lost his footing by now. Years in the Game and nothing had prepared him to deal with this.

He let his arm down.

– It’s alright, then? Ringo immediately concluded.

She turned to the Noise, crouched in front of them and went on.

– This one is Bob, and that one is Jack. Say hello, guys.

Bob jumped on her shoulder while Jack looked at Kitaniji before hiding behind Ringo.

– Oh, no, don’t be afraid, he won’t do anything to you, Ringo cooed. He’s really nice, aren’t you mister?  
– That… that’s not what people usually say.  
– Oh?

She picked up Jack and stood, moving closer to Kitaniji with a frown.

– People are mean, she observed. You ARE nice.

_Not to them._

– Thanks.

Ringo sneezed, and the reality of the cold and the rain came back to him like a punch to the gut.

– Why are you even outside? he asked while opening the umbrella.

He quickly checked that no one was watching before switching frequency to offer a little bit of shelter to Ringo.

– I’m playing?  
– You’re going to be sick. I’m getting you home right now.  
– Can Bob and Jack come with us?  
– Of course n… well, he amended, I suppose they can. It’s not like your parents can see them anyway.  
– Yeah! You’re the best, mister!

He was not so sure of it himself. Was it really without consequences to let her keep Noise as pets? Granted, they didn’t seem aggressive at all, and they obviously _liked_ Ringo. It was disturbing. They were acting so much like real animals… except for the part where they were invisible to most people, of course.

This day, for the first time, he went inside with Ringo. He tried to retreat as soon as she was dry and warm, but she wouldn’t let him. They ended up watching TV together, Ringo commenting excitedly while petting her frogs, and Kitaniji feeling profoundly out of place. When he left, it was not better, though.  


Inside was strange, but it was indeed warmer.


	5. Absence

For weeks, now, the sounds of Ringo's footsteps had been followed by the strange static of the two Noise as she ran toward Kitaniji, laughing. It was increasingly difficult to keep an eye on the Game; the girl was seemingly everywhere. The barman of the White Knight was beginning to see them as regulars, obviously, for he often prepared their drinks as soon as they passed the door, without waiting for their order. Kitaniji was grateful that the man never remarked on the strange behavior of Ringo, who played with Bob and Jack carelessly. What worried him a bit, though, was that he could now tell instantly which Noise was Bob and which one Jack. They were increasingly different from each other but also from standard Noise. They were individuals, now. It was not supposed to be like this.

Also, Jack had unexpectedly taken a liking to him.

The Noise was presently content to sit on Kitaniji's lap, while the Conductor tried to ignore him as well as Ringo's amused smile.

– You know you could just admit that you like him too, mister? Ringo teased.

Kitaniji glared at her; she giggled.

– Fortunately we know you're kind, so we like you even when you're no fun, she added.  
– I'm not someone _fun_ , Ringo. You should know it now.  
– Because you're always so serious. Don't you think you could just let go, sometimes?  
– You make it sounds far more easier than it is.

She shrugged.

– Maybe it _is_ easy and it's you who make it look more complicated.

It was not the first time they had this kind of conversation. Ringo seemed endlessly worried about Kitaniji's happiness –or lack of. It was… disconcerting. Kitaniji thought the fact that a young girl like her was on her own, wandering outside without an adult, was far more problematic. But he couldn't do more than he already did. He was with her almost daily now. The barman thought she was his niece.

– You know, it's the holidays soon, Ringo said.

He just hummed in acknowledgment.

– Maybe… Maybe I'll be able to come a little bit less.  
– Less? You're going on a trip?  
– Am not.

She was obviously displeased, and would not elaborate. Kitaniji sighed.

– What's the matter? he asked softly.  
– Well… My grades've not been so good… so I have to work more…

Oh.

– No wonder, Kitaniji pointed after a few seconds. You're always out there playing instead of studying.  
– But it's more fun! she complained. Besides, I don't want to go home when I could be with you.

No, it was definitely not fondness that threatened to submerge him. No. He couldn't afford it.

– How about I help you with your homework?  
– You'd do this? she exclaimed.

Truth be told, he was almost as surprised as her by his own offer. What the hell was he doing? He was supposed to find a way to stay distant, not get closer to her!

– You're sure? she insisted.

He was definitely not.

– Yeah, he lied. I know you'll do as you want in the end, meaning you'll come here, so I can at least try to get you to study…  
– Thank you mister!

She jumped on her feet, making Bob fall, and tried to hug Kitaniji above the table. He hurried to put the mugs away before an accident happened.

– Careful, girl!  
– You're so kind, she went on while skirting the table.

Jack protested when Ringo threw herself on Kitaniji's lap to put her arms around his neck. Kitaniji watched the Noise join his brother on Ringo's chair. He didn't know how to react. No one had touched him like this for… he didn't even remember how long. He had been alive, then.

– Psst, you have to put your arms around me too, Ringo whispered.

He did this, awkwardly. Ringo seemed happy to just hug him and he didn't feel like shoving her away. Eventually, though, she let go. He was unsure if he was relieved or strangely disappointed. She stayed on his lap however.

– Say, mister…

She was serious again. It was probably not good.

– How come I never met any friend of yours?

_That's because I don't have any._ But he couldn't really answer that, could he?

– I mean, she went on, you're very kind and all yet I never see anyone smiling at you, or anything really.  
– You haven't met all the people I know, he observed.

It was true. She –miraculously– had not encountered any of the officers. But subordinates were not what she meant, and he knew it. It was pathetic.

– Do you have brothers, or sisters?  
– I had a brother.  
– Had? What happened?

_I died._

– He died.

He regretted his words as soon as they escaped him. She looked horrified.

– It's been years, he added, hoping to somehow minimize the gravity of the fact.  
– That's still sad…  
– I'm alright now. I accepted it.

Ringo looked down, at her hands folded on her lap. Bob jumped to her and bumped her leg gently. She took him in her arms.

– So you're all alone like me, she said.

He had nothing to answer. He had never thought about it. He just… did his job. Supervise the Game. Time flew by. Has it been years? Decades?

He felt sick.

Jack began to hop around on the table, and they both looked at him. Bob joined him and they tried to climb on one another. Ringo giggled and the tension diffused suddenly.

When he walked her home two hours later, she seemed happy and carefree again. He felt heavy, but also empty at the same time, which didn't make sense.

– You sure you're alright, mister? she asked, stopping with a foot inside.  
– Megumi Kitaniji.

For one second, she looked puzzled, then her eyes widened.

– Megumi, she repeated, smiling.  
– Goodnight, Ringo.  
– Goodnight Megumi!

He turned away to walk back to the Dead God's Pad. The streets were empty and cold.

It hadn't felt lonely before she asked.


	6. Sickness

– I heard my parents argue. About me.

It was the first time Ringo said anything about her parents without being prompted, and it had to be for that kind of thing. Kitaniji despised them.

– Want to talk about it? he asked.  
– One was saying I just had a very vivid imagination and I would stop fantasizing growing up. The other was saying I was sick and they needed to send me to a psychiatrist. That I was hallucinating and…

She looked down at Bob who was content to sit on her lap.

– And? Kitaniji softly asked.  
– I could be dangerous, Ringo said very, very quietly. Throw myself under buses or attack people.

Under the table, Kitaniji let his nails burrow into his palm. He had to stay calm, for her.

– You’re not dangerous, Ringo. Not for yourself, not for anyone else.  
– How can you be so sure?  
– One: I know exactly what you see, and that it’s real. Two: I know _you_ , and you’re the kindest girl I know. You’d never endanger anyone. 

She mulled over it for a while.

– I… I really like you, alright? she said. But I’m still sad that it’s you and not my parents who tell me this...  
– I understand. I’m sad for you too, Ringo. You don’t have to be ashamed.

She started crying, and it was unbearable. Kitaniji knelt next to her and opened his arms in invitation. She threw herself at him and he hugged her close, wanting to protect her from more hurt.

Maybe he could Imprint her parents…?

Instead, he went inside her flat more often, made her crêpes, made her laugh, and basically became her godfather in all but name.


	7. Silence

With time, Ringo learnt to hide, to keep quiet. She would smile when seeing Kitaniji, but make sure they were alone before talking to him. He was relieved, because it meant she would not be seen as crazy anymore, but at the same time he was strangely saddened to see such a bright enthusiasm turn into caution.

She grew up. Became more calm, more serious, more sneaky. Changed school. Made friends.

Kitaniji didn’t feel dejected. Didn’t feel lonely when she stopped coming to him everyday to go see her friends instead. Didn’t feel _jealous_.

It was normal. It was for the best. He hadn’t wanted to grow close to her anyway. He had a Game to run.

She still came at least once a week, though, Bob and Jack jumping behind her. She smiled at him, talked about her classes, her friends, the funny looking tags she saw in the streets, the fashion she was slowly getting an interest in. And Kitaniji was happy to see her.

He worked more. Began stalking the Players again. And gradually, so very slowly, he felt a shift in Shibuya. What had been the chaos of a wild and beautiful garden was getting more… discordant. Shibuya was still rich of too many ideas, too many imaginations to count, but their forms no longer matched effortlessly.

The Composer sounded more and more bored. Kitaniji wondered which one was the cause and which one the consequence.


	8. Music

Contrary to what he had thought, Ringo never let him down. Year after year she was here, a constant in the whirlpool that was Shibuya. He felt like she’d been that little kid in a red dress two days ago, and now she was in highschool. Time flew by when you were dead.

The White Knight had closed years ago, but they were now used to spend their time together at Ringo’s home anyway. So it was at the kitchen table, with plates of crêpes between them, that Ringo surprised him once again.

– Open your gift Megumi, she insisted, rolling her eyes.  
– What are we celebrating? he protested weakly.

He knew she’d have her way eventually, but he could try to at least understand.

– We’re celebrating that you’re here, and that even if I was too young to realise it, you probably saved my life by accepting me. No, she cut him, listen until I’m finished. I was alone because no one would either believe me or teach me to hide it, and you did both. You saved me from getting institutionalized by my parents. You also saved me from abysmal grades, she smiled, and it was a small miracle given how stubborn I was.  
– You still are, he couldn’t help but point out.

She laughed.

– Well, you’re right, I’m still stubborn and probably will be all my life. So open your gift Megumi.

He obeyed. It was red headphones.

– I… I know you like music so I thought… Ringo explained, suddenly shy.  
– Thank you, he answered softly.

It was not so long later that he found himself trying to explain what the problem with the UG was without breaking the silence rule that was in place around the Game.

– It’s like music, he was saying. You cannot just play any note and hope for the best. There are rules, and the instruments should harmonize with each other, not try to each play their solo at the same time.  
– And in your metaphor, the music is a mess I guess?  
– I’m not sure, he admitted. It’s… strange, sometimes things clash, but it still has a personality. But the composer says they didn’t want their music played like that.  
– So what, they’re blaming the musicians?   
– Basically, yes. They want to… to fire them all. Start over with another orchestra.

If starting over was even an option. He didn’t know if the UG would still be there if the Composer really reseted Shibuya.

– Do you think the musicians are bad? Ringo inquired.  
– I don’t.  
– In your metaphor, is there a conductor? Someone who could try to tell one instrument to play a bit louder, another slower, etc?  
– … yes.  
– Maybe that guy could save your orchestra. I mean, that’s his job to somehow make the musicians harmonize, isn’t it?  
– You know, you’re not wrong…

She proudly beamed at him. Maybe he could do this. Maybe he could save Shibuya by forcing a harmony that could please the Composer. Maybe it was all on his shoulders and he had just been too blind to see it.


	9. Time

It burnt, the numbers engraved into his skin. The absence of a smile he had been so used to.

He looked at the timer in his palm, then slowly closed his hand. He couldn’t afford to lose. She didn’t deserve it.


End file.
